Dispensing device for collapsible tubes



Sept. 24, 1935. M, BECKER 2,915,333

DISPENSING DEVICE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed April 4, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1:7 B 7 INVENTOR 43 4 FRANK M. BEC ER 54 fi ATTOKNfiY flew. 24, 1935. BECKER 2,@15,333

DISPENSING DEVICE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed April 4, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F1 E- .LE FL 5.1. E-

Patented Sept. 24, 1935 SETS Frank M. Becker, Sinking Spring, Pa.

Application April 4, 1935, Serial No. 14,596

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a dispensing device and particularly to such a device for use with collapsible tubes, although its use is not limited thereto.

The object of the invention is to provide a cheap, simple and efficient form of device for use with tubes of varying sizes and which may be quickly and conveniently attached to the tube.

A further object is to provide a device which will be of service during the life of the contents of a single tube and which, when the contents are exhausted may be quickly and conveniently attached to a new tube so that it may be employed with tube after tube and as long as the working parts are operative.

It has'been found by experiment that devices having springs, etc., whose tension is to be overcome by pressure on the walls of the tube, forcing the contents outward to accomplish the opening of the tube are faulty in most cases, because, on

account of the extreme fragility of most tubes the walls will not stand such extreme pressure, but break out at their weak points. In the present invention the device is opened by hand, therefore no unusual pressure on the walls of the tube is necessary to dispense the contents of the tube and no parts are removed at any time during the life of the contents after the device has been attached to the tube end.

According to the invention the dispensing device comprises a casing having means for attaching same to a collapsible tube, an opening in the other end of said casing, and sliding members normally closing the opening and adapted to be drawn inwardly to clear said opening. The casing encloses a sleeve which communicates with the tube opening and which telescopes an auxiliary tube, and hand operated slide means which Withdraws the sliding members, causing the sleeve to protrude through said opening for the free dispensing of the contents oi the tube. The sleeve has a toothed rack which meshes with a pair of lateral pinions, which in turn mesh with toothed. racks on the sliding members so that the inward movement. of said members causes the outward movement of said sleeve.

The drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention, and the views therein are as follows:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible tube with the dispensing device attached thereto.

Fig. 2'is a top plan View of the device with the casing removed.

Fig. 3 is a side view of same.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan View of the device with the slide members withdrawn and the sleeve protruded.

Fig. 5 is alongitudinal sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. '7 is an inner end view of the device. 5

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the bottom guide plate with the pinions located thereon.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of same.

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the top guide plate.

Fig. ll. is a side elevation of same. 10

Fig. 12 is a side View of the auxiliary tube.

Fig. 13 is a cross sectional view of the bottom guide plate taken on the line l2ii3 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 14 is a side elevation of the telescopic dispensing tube. 15

Fig. 15 is a bottom plan view of same.

Fig. 16 shows in perspective the two sliding members.

Fig. 17 is a bushing for providing connection of the device to small mouth tubes. 20 Referring now to Fig. l, the device 28 is shown attached to the collapsible tube A and is shown in its closed position with the thumb piece 2! retracted in the slot 22 to position the sliding men bers 23 and 24 in closed relation. 25

The outer casing shown in section in Fig. 6 comprises two telescopic parts 26 and 2? which enclose the operating parts of the device.

The guide plates 23 and 29 are telescoped and their side walls are spaced to provide for the in- 30 sertion of the sliding members therebetween so that said members are confined and held in upright position.

These guide plates are held together by tubular rivets 3! which are peened over at their ends and 35 each are provided with av freely rotatable pinion 32 which rests on the lower plate 28 and are retained at that position because an arcuate sector of same is within the cut out portion 33 of the lower plate 28 and cut out portion 3d of the upper 40 plate 29.

The sliding members 23 and 2 3, confined between the side walls of the guide plates 28 and 29 have toothed racks 35 which mesh with the pinions 32 so that they may be moved inwardly 45 and outwardly by the rotation of said pinions. These members 23 and 2 are provided with right angled triangular lips 37 and 38 respectively for forming closing plates when the saidmembers are in their forward or closed positions. The 50 members are shown in perspective in Fig. 16. The triangular lip 37 on the sliding member 23 has its inner edge resting on the upper guide plate 29, and the triangular lip 38 on the sliding member 24 has its inner edge resting on the 55 outer surface of the lower guide plate 28 when these members are at their forward or closing position. In order that the lip on the plate 24 may be thus positioned the guide member has a slot 39 which is of such length as will permit the movement of said sliding member to a position where its forward end will be retracted until it coincides with the front edge of said guide member.

Each of the guide plates 28 and 29 has a rear arcuate contour 4!, while the upper guide plate 29 is provided with a collar 42 which embraces an internally threaded ferrule 43. Fitting part way into this ferrule 43 is a threaded shoulder 44 formed on the end of a tube 46. This tube (see Figs. 5 and i2) is telescoped by the dispensing tube 47. This dispensing tube may have its outer end 48 pressed into rectangular shape so as to fit snugly between the guide plates 23 and 29. The dispensing tube, better shown in Figs. 14 and 15, has a thumb piece 2| on the upper side thereof and this piece extends through a slot 5| in the upper guide plate 29 and through the slot 22 in the casing section 21 and is for the purpose of moving the dispensing tube to a position within the guide plates 28- and 29, or to a position where the same extends outward from said plates, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Diametrically opposite from the thumb piece 2| is a rack 52, having teeth 53 on both longitudinal edges of the same, and these teeth mesh with the pinions 32 so that the movement of the dispensing tube dlcauses these pinions to rotate and to move the sliding members 23 and 24, whose toothed racks 36 mesh with said pinions.

The inner end of the casing is provided with slots 54 which permit the inner ends of the sliding members 23 and 24 to project through the I same when said sliding members are drawn inwardly to open the end of the casing and thus permit the device to be made smaller than would be possible if said members were wholly contained in the casing.

As the threaded necks of collapsible tubes are of several different sizes the ferrule 43 has its internal thread of such size as will fit the larger necks, and in order to provide for smaller neck tubes the internally and externally threaded bushing 56, such as shown in Fig. 17, may be threaded into the ferrule 43.

The adaptation and operation of the improved dispensing device is as follows:

After a tube of tooth paste, shaving cream or the like has been purchased, the cap which closes the threaded neck is removed and the device is attached to the tube by threading the neck into the ferrule 43 or bushing 56. Let us assume that the device is then in position as shown in Fig. 1. To open for dispensing purposes the thumb piece 2! is moved forward in the slot 22, thereby moving the dispensing tube forward, and since its rack 52 engages both pinions 32, these pinions will be rotated and the sliding members 23 and 24 will be drawn within the guide plates 28 and 29 as their toothed racks 36 are in mesh with the pinions 32. The rectangular end 48 of the dispensing tube then assumes the position such as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The inner ends of the sliding members 23 and 24 will protrude through the slots 54 at the rear of the casing as as shown in Fig. 4.

Pressure may now be exerted on the collaps ible tube, whereupon the commodity contained therein will be dispensed through the tubes 46 and 47.

When it is desired to close the tube the thumb piece 2! is pushed to the position shown in Fig. 1, which will retract the dispensing tube 41, pushing the excess material back into the commodity tube, while the sliding members 23 and 24, with their triangular lips 3! and 38, will close the end of the device.

In the case of brushless shaving creams, the device itself is recommended for spreading the same over the face, and the excess material can readily be removed therefrom by holding the de- -vice under a hydrant.

ing means at one end for attachment to the.

threaded neck of a collapsible tube, an opening at the other end, means comprising angularly movable plates normally closing said opening, dispensing means normally within said casing, and means for simultaneously uncovering said opening and protruding the end of said dispensing means therefrom.

2. A dispensing device comprising a casing having means at one end for attachment to the threaded neck of a collapsible tube, an opening at the other end, means comprising angularly movable plates normally closing said opening, a telescoping tube normally within said casing, and means for simultaneously uncovering said opening and protruding the end of said telescoping tube therefrom.

3. A dispensing device comprising a casing having means at one end for attachment to the threaded neck of a collapsible tube, an opening at the other end, angularly movable sliding plates normally closing said opening, dispensing means normally within said casing, and means for simultaneously uncovering said opening and protruding the end of said dispensing means therefrom.

4. A dispensing device comprising a casing having means at one end for attachment to the threaded neck of a collapsible tube, an opening at the other end, angularly movable sliding plates normally closing said opening at the other end, a telescoping tube normally within said casing, and means for simultaneously uncovering said opening and protruding the end of said telescoping tube therefrom.

5. A dispensing device comprising a casing having means at one end for attachment to the threaded neck of a collapsible tube, an opening at the other end, sliding plates normally closing said opening, a dispensing tube normally within said casing, means co-operating between said plates and said dispensing tube for moving said plates to uncover said opening when the said tube is moved in the direction of said opening.

6. A dispensing device comprising a casing having means at one end for attachment to the threaded neck of a collapsible tube, an opening at the other end, sliding plates normally closing said opening, a dispensing tube normally within said casing, pinions co-operating between said plates 76 and said dispensing tube for moving said plates to uncover said opening when the said tube is moved in the direction of said opening.

'7. A dispensing device comprising a casing having means at one end for attachment to the threaded neck of a collapsible tube, an opening at the other end, guide members in said casing, sliding plates confined by said guide members and adapted to normally close said opening, a dispensing tube normally within said casing and movable to protrude the end thereof through said opening, and means co-operating between said sliding plates and said dispensing tube to move said plates in a direction generally opposite to the direction in which said tube is moved.

8. A dispensing device comprising a casing having means at one end for attachment to the threaded neck of a collapsible tube, an opening at the other end, guide members in said casing, sliding plates confined by said guide members and adapted to normally close said'opening, a

dispensing tube normally within said casing and movable to protrude the end thereof through said opening, and pinions co-operating between said sliding plates and said dispensing tube to move said plates in a direction generally opposite to the direction in which said tube is moved.

9. A dispensing device comprising a casing having means at one end for attachment to the threaded neck of a collapsible tube, an opening at the other" end, guide members in said casing, sliding plates confined by said guide members and adapted to normally close said opening, a dispensing tube normally within said casing and movable to protrude the end thereof through said opening, toothed racks on said plates, pinions engaging said racks, and a double faced rack between said pinions whereby said plates and tube may be simultaneously moved in opposite direc- V tions.

FRANK M. BECKER. 

